


Love Is Blind - Mexico

by DreamDrop



Series: Love Is Blind [2]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Damen finds out, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Love Is Blind Netflix, M/M, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:29:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23279404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamDrop/pseuds/DreamDrop
Summary: After finding their love blind in the pods, Damen and Laurent go to Mexico to explore their physical connection and get to know each other better. Damen learns a bit about Laurent's family.
Relationships: Auguste/Jokaste (Captive Prince), Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince), Kashel/Vannes (Captive Prince), Lazar/Pallas (Captive Prince), Lykaios/Nikandros (Captive Prince), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Torveld/Isander (Captive Prince)
Series: Love Is Blind [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1671760
Comments: 12
Kudos: 106





	1. The first night

**Author's Note:**

> As some of you really liked the first part, here comes the second one. This time with smut included. Have fun you all!

After ten days in the pods, they left the house. Damen was nervous, something he didn't experience often. Normally he had enough self-confidence to last several other people for multiple lifetimes. But now he would be going with on a vacation with Laurent. The Omega he fell in love with through a wall. The amazing, sharp-tongued, intelligent and cunning person he got to know in the last few days. The most beautiful creature he ever laid eyes on. 

He did not delude himself, if he had met Laurent on the streets, in a bar, in a restaurant or coffeeshop, he would have tried to get him into bed. He wouldn't have thought about the person the Omega was behind his unearthly beautiful face. He knew that Laurent looked like all his wet dreams combined in flesh. But now he also knew the man. 

He knew that he loved his brother more than anything in the world, he knew that he wasn't a morning person, he knew that he was a control freak, he even knew that he drank his coffee pitch black and had some passionate opinions about the "right" way of folding fitted sheets. And most important of all: He knew how intimidating Laurent was. 

He felt his hands tremble while he folded the last T-shirt and put it away in his suitcase.  
He took a deep breath and then went to follow one of the show assistants, that directed him to his fiancé. When he saw the blond man for the second time, he again felt as if all the air was punched out of his lungs. 

"Hello."  
"Hello Laurent." He sounded breathless and the Omega smiled at him.  
"You look as if you would vomit on my shoes any moment. Could I ask you to refrain from throwing up in front me? Otherwise I might get sick too."  
Damen laughed. He was so relieved to realize that this was still Laurent, the voice on the other side of the wall. Yes, he might look like temptation personified but he was still the man he learned to love in the last ten days.

"I will try my best. But I can proudly declare, that I haven't vomited since I had my first real hangover with seventeen."  
"What an accomplishment, did you add it to your resumé?"  
"In fact, I did. That is an important ability as police captain."  
"I already thought so. It's reassuring to know that our law enforcement is so highly qualified in this country." Laurent had a serious expression on his face as he handed his suitcase to the chauffeur that would drive them to the airport. However, his eyes twinkled with a teasing light. In the pods Damen couldn't see all those facial expressions and he soaked them up like a sponge.

"Always at your service." He gave a mock bow and then climbed into the car behind Laurent. The Omega wore a beautiful suit, he realized belatedly. "You look beautiful by the way. Very lawyerish."  
"My, thank you! That is the nicest compliment I ever received. And from a police captain at that." Laurent reached into his pocket, just to draw his hand back without finding what he looked for. "My phone. I am not accustomed to not having it. Most of the time I use my time in the car to look through some case files." He supplied when he saw Damen's questioning gaze. "You look good too. I can't really comment on your profession but nice shirt."

Damen wore a dark red, plain shirt. The nicest thing about it was that it clung to his body like a second skin. He grinned broadly and leaned back in his seat.  
"So, you really are as sarcastic in reality as in the pods."  
Laurent rolled his eyes. "It was the point of the whole thing to be authentic and I was. You didn't think I would be more docile, did you?"  
"No. I did not." Damen still smiled he loved that he could look at Laurent while talking to him. He would admit that he loved to look at Laurent in general, but looking at him while he talked was even more fascinating. 

The Omega had a good control over his features, he didn't show a lot of emotions on his face and the scent-patches on his glands covered every scent he would have emitted. It was fascinating to talk to a person that didn't give away everything they thought. But there was something familiar about the eye-color and sharp jaw.  
"What is your brother's name?"  
"You realized it then?" Laurent met his gaze head on and smiled a tiny little smile. He even looked more like the blond Alpha, Damen got to know during the experiment.

"Maybe. Auguste is really your brother?" Damen, who had hit it off with Auguste as if they knew each other forever, was a bit dazed.  
"Yes, he is."  
"He is the one who had THE Talk with you?" Damen remembered lively how Laurent told him about the moment his older brother had to talk to him about the bees and the flowers and stammered himself through a two minute introduction and then just threw a book into his lap with the words: "If you have questions, come and ask."

On the one hand he racked his brain if he had said something concerning Laurent to Auguste, what he definitively had on the other hand he was elated that he already seemed to know the most important person in Laurent's life and that they got along like long lost brothers.  
"He was. You should have seen him. He looked as if he wanted to die on the spot."

"He is going to kill me." Damen suddenly remembered how he told Auguste that he would love to hear Laurent talk dirty as that would surely be an experience in itself by the way he had with words and combined with that voice… no words needed. "For fucks sake, could you not have warned me?!" He was close to hysterics, or better, as close as he could get there. He was a very calm person, so he didn't get very close but for him it was close enough.

Laurent laughed one dry laugh. "We signed a non-disclosure agreement. And why? Did you tell him something bad about yourself?"  
"No… not really. But we talked! I mean we just fitted so well together. We have a lot in common."  
"You do. So, what did you remember when your face went pale like a sheet?" A predatory glint was in Laurent's blue eyes. They were as blue as the sky on a summer day over Ios and Damen needed a moment to process the question. He buried his face in his hands and just groaned.

"Please kill me now. I don't think I can look into your brother's eyes ever again."  
"This has to be good. Did you two talk while being filmed?"  
Now Damen contemplated jumping out of the car. Naturally, they talked while being filmed.  
"You did!", Laurent sounded thrilled, "What did you say?"  
"I told him that I would like to hear you talk dirty."

The Omega looked him with a disbelieving expression and then he burst out laughing. "You told my brother on film that you would like to hear me dirty talk? Really?"  
Damen groaned. "Yes."  
"What did he reply?"  
"He laughed like a maniac and then said to think about protection… When I think about it, he was pretty calm."

Laurent shrugged. "We witnessed enough partners in each other's life to know that we are not abstinent. Although I witnessed a lot more than he did. But for your information: I actually am pretty good at dirty talk."  
"I can imagine. This will be the joke of the whole episode."  
"I think so too. At least nobody filmed your meltdown in the car now."  
Damen really didn't want to meet Auguste ever again and he wanted to see the final product of this experiment, the Netflix show, even less. Both things that would not happen. 

When they arrived in Mexico, they were driven to the hotel and ordered a dinner from room service. Laurent started unpacking.  
"You are one of those people… I should have known."  
"One of those people?"  
Damen grinned and pointed at the neatly arranged clothes in the closet. "One of those people that really do unpack."  
"Yes. I don't like wrinkles in my clothes."

"Now, this whole situation is really strange. If I only hear your voice, I still get the feeling of sitting in this pod and talking to you for hours on end. If I look at you, I think about the one time I went to the gym in my apartment block and slept with one of the instructors there."  
"Thanks, I guess. As you already know, I am a sporty person. And I lucked out in the gene lottery. But look to whom I am talking."  
Laurent rolled his eyes.  
"What? Have you looked at your brother and yourself recently? That is not normal. No family should look like you two do."  
"Oh please. We are brothers, naturally we look alike."  
"To change the very uncomfortable topic of your brother: What was that about the fitness instructor? Why did you only go once, if you have a fitness center in your apartment block?" Damen wasn't jealous but he was a curious person. 

"The fitness instructor was a good looking guy, very good looking to be honest, who flirted with me for the whole hour I was there and then escorted me to my apartment door, as I was his last appointment for the day and I thought: If he already knows where I live, I can take advantage of the situation. The sex was so-so and we didn't see each other ever again. One of the reasons for that was the fact that I never set foot into the fitness center again. The other reason was that I may have had some casual sex but never a serious relationship. So, if this really works out, you would be my first and only." 

They sat down for their dinner while Damen contemplated the words. "I understand. I think of myself of a relationship person, but I had to realize that I most likely was not as committed as I should have been. I liked my partners; I loved every single one of them in a way, but I was never one to give my all in a relationship."

"By the way I need to tell you something."  
"What is it?" Laurent put his glass of water back on the table and focused his gaze on him.  
"I know you talked to Nikandros and that it was not a good conversation. You should know that he reacted that way because of me. We are best friends, he was the one that found me after my brother shot me, and he knows my type. He also hates my type. Not because he hates the people but because he hates what they do to me. When I told him that I wanted to marry you he told me everything. I just wanted you to know, that we have a bit of history there."

Laurent arched his eyebrow. "What kind of history?"  
"As I already told you, I was a quite shallow dating partner for a long time. I like blond, pale and classically beautiful. If there came more out of it than just fucking, each and every one of them was ruthless, goal-oriented and cunning. They broke my heart one after the other. I forgave them a lot; I always saw their intelligence and ambition but never their selfishness and callousness. Nikandros warned me every single time and I ignored him just as often. He was always there to pick up the pieces and there were a lot of I-told-you-so's. You just matched every single one of those criteria and he was worried for me."

"He seems to be a lot more worried about you than you are yourself. I am glad that you have someone like him in your life and I do understand from where he is coming from."  
"But it is no excuse to antagonize you like that. I already talked to him."  
A smile played around Laurent's lips and Damen's gaze was, not for the first time, drawn to the soft-looking, pink mouth of the enchanting man across from him. "I am a big boy Damen. I can handle a bit of rough treatment. Nikandros does not scare me and I can stand up for myself without a big, strong Alpha backing me up. But thank you anyway."

"I know that you can handle it but I don't know, if he can. You are terrifying to be honest. I would prefer to keep my best friend out of harm's way."  
Now the Omega smirked. "Then you want to appease me in order to prevent me from damaging your best friend? Interesting tactic you have there."

Damen laughed; he was so relieved that their conversations did not suffer under the circumstance that they could look into each other's eyes. "Well, if you do require a more profitable deal, please name your conditions."  
"Do you really want to negotiate with me Damianos? I am not known for going easy on amateurs." Laurent provocatively licked his bottom lip and Damen's brain short circuited. But he was no amateur, whatever Laurent seemed to think. 

He grinned with all the self-confidence he could muster and answered: "Bring it on, d'Arles. I am waiting. Let's see if you are worth the money your clients throw after you."  
The Omega's eyes darkened. His pupils dilated and he swept his gaze up and down Damen's body.  
"An explanation from you in exchange for me not damaging your best friend. This deal is quite obviously not profitable at all for me. If you want even the slightest chance of enticing me, you'll have to offer something that is remotely tempting for me. I won't bargain with you over something that does not benefit me the slightest."

"I like your negotiation style. You provoke me, so that I foolishly list everything I could offer in order for you to pick whatever you want. You are a ruthless bastard Mr. d'Arles."  
"Nobody accuses me of boring negotiation methods, and I won't start with them now, Sir." Laurent looked up, when he said it and Damen had an instant hard-on. The Omega talked with a low, seducing voice, while his posture was totally relaxed. As if he knew, that he had already won and Damen hated to admit it, but he was probably right. All the blood that normally was needed in his brain was rushing southwards at an amazing speed. He felt a bit dizzy. A low growl resonated in his chest.

"Laurent, if you want to start this whole thing slowly, then we really need to stop here." It was a fact and a warning, and he really hoped the other man would take it seriously.  
"Does this mean I can set the terms of our deal myself? Do you really think this is a good idea? Maybe I will charge a rate you cannot afford. Not that I want to question your competence… Sir." The smirk around his mouth was what unraveled Damen right there.

"Cameras out. Fast." He barked. The camera team was a bit shocked, but they hurried out of the room and then they were alone. Damen stood and walked around the table. "Are you sure you want to do that? We can wait. Maybe we should wait."  
"Damen, are you afraid of me?" Laurent turned his chair, so that he now sat with his face to Damen, who towered over him. He looked up, his throat unprotected, except for one flimsy layer of fabric from his shirt.

"No. I am afraid of destroying something precious with you." His voice sounded raspier than ever before. For the first time in his life he was afraid of losing control over his instincts. And it was the truth. He didn't want this to end like every other relationship before.  
"You won't." He sounded so sure and everything in Damen relaxed right there. "I am here to catch you Damianos. I won't trip you and let you fall."  
"I trust you. If you are sure you want that, you can have everything."

Laurent smiled and then he leaned forward.  
He locked one finger in the beltloop of Damen's jeans and tugged him closer. The bulge in Damen's pants directly in front of his face. "I want it all." His voice was low, and he nuzzled his nose against Damen's crotch. The Alpha groaned, he drew Laurent up by his shoulders and kissed him, hard. One of his hands pressed the Omega against him, the other went to his hair and forced his head back. His tongue licked over those sensuous lips. 

Laurent opened up beautifully. He went pliant and parted his lips without so much as a noise of protest. He gasped when Damen pushed into his hot wet mouth and the Alpha felt himself drown in pleasure. He never scented the Omega in his arms, as both of them wore the scent patches that blocked their glands but now, he could taste him. He tasted like ambrosia and Damen felt a groan escape him. He still held Laurent's head back by his hair, when he drew back. 

"You are killing me. You taste incredible. I can't wait to scent you. Can I remove your patches?"  
"Only if I can remove yours too."  
"Yes." Damen tilted Laurent's head back but removed his hand from his hair to start peeling at the edges of the patches. They were stuck around and over the glands and he didn't want to hurt him. He felt Laurent's fingers at his throat and tilted his head to grant better access. When the patch was removed, he felt his knees weaken. 

The scent was faint, as the active ingredient of the patch was still all over the gland, but what he could smell… Well, he almost came on the spot. He felt the second patch leave his skin and hurried to even out the playing field. Laurent dove right into his neck and then groaned against his skin. "For fucks sake Damen…" He mumbled and then there were lips on his exposed gland. Gently suckling and the Alpha felt his knees weaken. 

He lifted Laurent up, held him close with one hand on his back and the other under his ass. The Omega sucked harder and wrapped his legs around him, little gasps escaping him. The bed was, mercifully, not far away and he lowered them slowly onto the mattress. Laurent let his head fall back and looked at him with hooded eyes. His hands grabbed Damen's arms and squeezed around the bulging muscles. 

"You smell so good Laurent. I can't believe… god, no wonder you always wear the patches."  
"You smell good too, Damen. I really like your scent."  
"Good." He shed his shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. Laurent's eyes were on his naked torso immediately, but only for some short seconds, before Damen pulled his dress shirt and undershirt over his head. Then he bent down, his hands pressed into the mattress on either side of Laurent's head. 

"You're so beautiful," Damen whispered against his lips, enraptured, bewitched, enslaved by the stunning creature who was spread out under him.  
"Me?" Laurent gave a soft, breathy laugh that made Damen's skin tingle along his arms. "I'm nothing compared to you." 

Damen knew he looked good, he knew his body was Alpha ideals personified, but to hear that this bewitching Omega below him appreciated his body as well, was satisfying beyond measure. His stomach muscles clenched, when he felt an appreciative hand run down his chest to where his jeans sat low on his hips, and it stopped there as Laurent looked him deep in his eyes. His gaze was intent, focused, and so hungry, Damen couldn't help but feel like he was the prey that had fallen into Laurent's trap. He knew, in their life together, there would be a lot of those moments.

"You are so handsome, so forgiving, so caring and kind, and yet so strong, too. I never thought that there would be a person like you out there." Laurent said, his voice almost reverent, as if he couldn't really believe that they were here, together. His fingers popped open the buttons of Damen's jeans, brushing featherlight over the forming bulge. The Alpha couldn't help the groan, that left his mouth. If Laurent couldn't believe that they were here, it felt like a fantasy to Damen. He looked down, his gaze searching that gorgeous face for something like uncertainty, but there was only want. Want that he felt in himself like a physical ache. He was well on his way to painfully hard, his deflated knot already pulsing in anticipation of what was to come. 

He needed to talk now, before it was too late. "Laurent, I need to know, if you are comfortable with me knotting you."  
"Just that question alone, confirms what I already knew. Yes, Damen, I want your knot in me. And I am on birth control and clean," His voice dropped into a seductive whisper at the second sentence and Damen had to consume his lips, he pushed his tongue in the wet heat and kissed Laurent, until he breathed hard and his cheeks were flushed.

"Now that is a nice blush. I am clean too, if you want to forgo the condom." Damen teased, while he traced the Omega's lips with the tip of his tongue and looked him in the eyes all the while.  
Laurent sucked air into his lungs and answered: "That could be described at treacherous. How fortunate the cameras cannot document this moment of weakness from our morally superior police captain. And yes, fuck me bare." 

Before the Alpha could respond, Laurent's fingers dipped under the waistband of his underwear and soon his whole hand followed, drawing a gasp and a groan from Damen's lips.  
"My, aren't I one lucky omega," Laurent purred, stroking Damen's cock. All he could feel was the warm hand around his cock, holding him, cradling him, and the hot, all-consuming heat that seeped into his veins from that touch. Weak, he dropped his forehead onto Laurent's, unable to keep his arousal in check anymore. He never thought an Omega could take all his control from him. He needed to focus all his efforts to restrain himself from just flipping Laurent over and taking him the way he wanted.

The moment his scent released in full was clear... Damen could see it in his eyes, which he watched with an almost obsessive greed. They widened at first, ocean blue and beautiful, before they darkened to almost black. Lust made them hazy and Damen could smell Laurent's own scent engulfing him. His scent was unexpectedly spicy. Damen needed a moment to pinpoint it. And then it hit him, Laurent smelt like ginger, ginger to the already there lavender and pine. He pushed his nose at the unprotected gland and nudged Laurent's head back to suck a mark right over the swollen flesh. 

With a tremble in his back and a growl deep in his throat, Damen thrust his hips into Laurent's hand at the same time. It was his way of asking one last time, because words were no longer an option. His mind was far too immersed in the pleasure, in the scent of the omega, to warrant any leave.  
So, Damen abandoned it. And he did it without a second of regret.  
Laurent's hand hadn't stopped working his cock over and as Damen reached for his slacks, he couldn't stop himself from kissing him again. Their tongues rubbed together, slick and hot, and sweet and Damen couldn't wait to feel Laurent completely naked beneath him. 

He undid the buttons and shoved the pants off of the Omega's hips, which rose to help him in an impatient move. It was once the material bunched up around Laurent's knees that Damen smelt it: the sweet, potent scent of slick. His entire body froze for one second, he paused, and then… Then he ripped off the, no doubt, very expensive trousers and underwear the rest of the way and pulled Laurent's legs apart, one hand sneaked under the, again no doubt, perfect ass and he lifted him a bit. 

The hand on his cock disappeared, but that was a little price to pay for what Damen intended to do. He ignored the gasp that fell from Laurent's lips as Damen pushed his face right where it belonged – between those firm, strong thighs, where his hole glistened with slick. The scent alone made his head spin. He loved to eat his partners out, but never, never before had he smelt something so unbelievable delicious.  
Whatever words Laurent might have wanted to utter in this moment, they all died on the tip of his tongue the moment Damen tasted him. He tasted sweet and spicy at the same time; his scent more potent than ever before. The ginger heavy on Damen's tongue. His voice irreversibly caught between a groan and a growl, while he licked at the tight rim.

His own body thrummed with power, heated by his want, his need, the animalistic instincts that were threatening to take over, and yet, all Damen was truly aware of was the feeling of the soft skin under his tongue, his lips, and that Laurent's hand found its way into his hair with a tight grip.

He was not a loud lover, Damen realized, his moans were breathy, almost gasps. But he was passionate, that much was clear, when he heard: "Fuck yes. Damen, you make me feel so good. I love your tongue in me. Can you taste how much I want you?"  
The Alpha felt how the last bit of rational thinking left his mind. He felt the need to make the Omega happy, it was not just that he wanted him to be satisfied but he needed him to be satisfied.  
"You taste so good, Laurent, I could eat you out all day long," Damen praised him, "So sweet, so ready." The choked breath that he got in return told him everything. Laurent liked to be praised, he needed to explore that more.

"Yes, I'm ready. Fuck me, Damen," It sounded like an order und Damen felt a prickle run over his back straight to his groin.  
"Not yet."  
His licked his lips, his face was a mess, but it was worth it. Damen licked a long stripe up, directly over the pulsating hole. On the second turn, he pressed his tongue harder against the flesh. It parted for him like it had been made to do just that, and more slick poured right onto his eager tongue. He moaned at the taste, unable to do anything other than lick it all up. 

It was impossible not to want more, so Damen pressed his tongue greedily against Laurent's hole again. He pushed his tongue in harder, curled it inside the wet heat of the Omega's hole until his teeth grazed the rim, but it was still not enough. He inserted one finger and that, yes, that made Laurent's entire body twitch in a way that went straight to Damen's groin.  
One, two of his fingers stretched the soft, tender insides, the slide easy and effortlessly. It was so slick that Damen could enter a third finger almost instantly. 

The scent of arousal hung thick in the room and when Laurent opened his mouth and said: "Alpha, please fuck me," Damen had to clench his free hand around his own cock to keep himself from coming right there.  
With a needy growl, Damen crawled over Laurent, who only spread his legs further to accommodate him. Damen rubbed his cock against Laurent's backside as he looked down into his fiancé's flushed, aroused face. His eyes were so dark, they almost appeared black. 

Damen rubbed one hand over his face, to get the worst of the slick off. He was just happy, that he decided to shave his beard before the experiment. "I am going to fuck you until you don't know your own name, sweetheart."  
He took his cock in hand, lined up at Laurent's open, gaping hole, and he pushed in. Once he was seated inside him fully, he breathed at last, but his breath disappeared when he looked down at Laurent... this beautiful, stunning omega, who did agree to marry him. 

"Fuck. Everywhere in proportion. You really are an overachiever, Damianos." Laurent wrapped his long legs around his hips and yanked him down for a kiss. He felt him bite his lower lip but Damen didn't care one bit. The short, stinging pain just underlining how perfect it felt to be inside Laurent. When Laurent again buried his hand in his hair and directed his head to his neck and his swollen gland his hips jerked on their own. Laurent gasped and pushed Damen's mouth straight over the source of his scent. It sent sparks of heat across the Alpha's spine, so he gave a little thrust. 

"Stop teasing Damen or I will make you comply."  
He felt the smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. "Impatient, are we?"  
"For heaven's sake, Damianos." Then he felt how all those delicious muscles tightened around his length. "If you don't fuck me right now, I will have to look for pleasure elsewhere and that would not amuse me at all."  
The vicious growl by the mere thought let Damen spring into action. He pushed in hard, holding Laurent close with one hand, the other buried in his hair und bending his head back in order to suck marks into the pale, unmarked skin right there.

"Now we are talking, fiancé," Laurent sounded a bit breathless but smug all the same. Damen would have rolled his eyes, if he didn't agree enthusiastically. The reminder that he was Laurent's fiancé made him tingle all over. The Omega gripped his shoulders hard and his fingernails would leave marks behind, Damen was sure. He loved it.  
He pushed in faster, and Laurent's hole sucked him in as greedily as Damen wanted to claim it. The Omega's appreciative moans only urged him to go harder, faster, deeper, and soon, Damen lost himself in the feeling of Laurent's pliant body giving way to him as he pounded into him with powerful thrusts that made the entire bed rattle.

Damen could see the way his girth spread Laurent open far more than his fingers could. If he withdrew now, he could probably see the Laurent's gaping hole clenching around nothing, wanting to be filled, but he couldn't do it. It was too warm there, too slick, and Damen buried himself balls-deep with every thrust he gave.

However, this position was everything but ideal for knotting. Damen didn't waste any time, he pulled out, grabbed Laurent by his hips and flipped him. Before Laurent's gasp of surprise even ended, Damen was sinking back into him, stealing his breath with a moan.  
He buried his cock deep in Laurent as he bent over him. He nibbled on the juncture of neck and shoulder. The taste of Laurent heavy on his tongue and he felt it coming. Heat built up in his belly, "Do you want my knot? Say it sweetheart."  
Laurent answered, breathlessly: "Yes, Alpha please. I want your knot. Give it to me." 

Damen couldn't help his own groans, which he pressed into the skin of Laurent's neck as his hips slammed into him with abandon.  
It came sooner than he had expected, but once it did, his instinct acted before he thought twice. "I am going to fill you up sweetheart. You feel so incredible. I can't wait to be locked deep inside you. I love you." 

His cock buried itself deep in Laurent, pumping him full of cum, while Damen himself shook with the force of his release. The knot at the base of his cock swelled and Damen gave one final thrust into Laurent's ass before it could fully inflate. Ecstasy coursed through his entire being. He wanted Laurent to belong to him fully, but now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. Damen could feel Laurent's muscles clenching down on his cock as the pleasure roiled over him in waves. He gasped out the Alpha's name and Damen held him through their orgasms. His own hips jerked deeper, his cock still spurting come into the tight heat.

It felt good, undeniably good. Never before had it felt like this and he had had a lot of sex in his life. He had to clench his teeth together in order to not bite Laurent. His instincts screaming at him that he needed to mark and bond the Omega split open around his knot.  
"I should have know. With such a cock the knot can't be any less than massive." Laurent mumbled and pressed his ass back against Damen's hips. The tiny wiggle had Damen back to groaning. He still pulsated around the knot from his own orgasm. 

"Sweetheart, hold still or the knot will never go down. We have to get up tomorrow."  
"Oh, that is interesting. How long does your knot last?" Laurent sounded so intrigued that Damen was a bit relieved. At least he didn't panic.  
"If you hold still now, close to an hour but after half an hour we might be able to separate, painfully. If you don't… well… I never found out. We had to stop before we could determine."  
Laurent turned his head, a delighted glint in his eyes. "One hour at least? How long did you try?"  
"Yes. I know it is a quite long time. I would understand if you didn't want to be knotted for so long everytime after sex. We tried for something around six hours. With breaks in between sometimes the knot was almost down."  
"What are you? The culmination of Alphahood?"  
Damen laughed. "Most of my partners weren't as delighted as you over the given circumstances."  
"Were they idiots? No, don't answer me, clearly they were." Before Damen could react, Laurent again pressed back. He tightened incredibly more around him and then relaxed again. The Alpha took up little thrusts, they were still almost imperceptible, but Laurent groaned. "Yes, don't stop." Damen was surprised and overwhelmed at the same time. He never had a partner, that appreciated his stamina that much. Not that he could make them any reproaches. But as he kissed Laurent long and deep, he knew that this man had changed his life forever.


	2. Meeting up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello you all! I hope you like the second part of this story. As I would like to finish the whole arc, as it was done in the series, I will write a third part but don't know yet, how much time I'll need to finish. Have fun and I would love to read from you.

The next morning, they woke up late. Their lovemaking still fresh, Damen rolled over and pressed a kiss into the pale skin of his lovers back. He inhaled deeply, "You smell amazing, sweetheart."  
"Hello, lover." Laurent rolled onto his back and looked up to him. His blue eyes sparkled like the sea and Damen kissed him hard. The Omega reciprocated enthusiastically. He sucked Damen's bottom lip into his mouth, caressed his tongue with his own and buried his hands in his hair. 

"You are beautiful."  
"You too." Laurent smiled and closed his eyes again. "What do you think do they want to do with us today?"  
"I don't know. But as long as you are by my side, it won't be so bad."  
"That was the cheesiest line I ever heard. I am so glad that there are no cameras."

Actually, they were only needed in the late afternoon. When they found themselves on the open terrace of the hotel bar. Laurent wore slacks and a perfectly fitted black shirt. His sunglasses and the casually styled hair let him look like a model out of a magazine. Damen couldn't help himself, when he leaned in for a kiss. The Alpha at the table across from them looked disappointed. Laurent however didn't bat an eyelash.

Then they heard a voice. "Laurent?" It was a female voice and Damen knew her too well, to mistake her. His gaze snapped up at the same time Laurent's did. There stood a blond, perfect woman. She looked almost like the female version of Laurent, were it not for some minor details that showed her akielon heritage. Where Laurent's skin was pale like snow, she had a golden glow to hers. Her hair was a little bit darker. But both of them were tall, athletic and beautiful beyond comparison. 

"Jokaste?" Laurent stood, a wide smile on his face. He walked to her and she drew him into a hug. Damen felt as if he was transported into a parallel universe. "What are you doing here?" Laurent lead her to their table, and she flicked her long hair over a shoulder. Her blue eyes zeroed in on Damen and her jaw dropped for a moment. "We have our suite room here," she said in order to answer Laurent's question, then, "I am Jokaste. A pleasure meeting you in person Damianos." She smiled and shook his hand. 

He was still totally out of it. What the fuck?!  
"Hello. I am a bit overwhelmed here." Then he saw another figure approach their table and he had to fight the reflex to run. Auguste walked with the same confidence he always had. A broad grin split his face and to Jokaste's obvious surprise, he yanked Laurent up and into a bone-crushing embrace. "So good to see you! I never thought we would meet here. How are you? I missed you."  
"You are causing severe misunderstandings here, brother." Laurent laughed but returned the hug and even patted Augustes hair. Up close it was even more obvious that they were siblings.

Jokaste's eyes were wide as saucers. "You know each other? You are brothers?"  
Laurent sat down again, and Auguste sat between him and Jokaste. "Yes. Sorry, we couldn't tell you. Damen almost threw up, when he found out."  
The scene that played before him was really unreal. The Alpha couldn't believe that three of the most beautiful people sat around him and talked like it was nothing. As if they didn't draw the attention of the whole place to them.

"Oh my… now everything makes sense. That's why you told me, that I needn't worry about meeting your family. Because I already have! You ass! I thought you never wanted me to meet your brother." Jokaste swatted Auguste's arm, who only smiled at her with infatuation written over his whole face. Then she redirected her attention to Damen.  
"I never imagined you to look like that to be honest."  
"Not what you expected?" He smiled and intertwined his fingers with Laurent's.  
"Not at all. You sounded so empathetic. I would never have expected such a… jock." 

Now Damen burst out laughing. "We are not in high-school anymore."  
She rolled her eyes, "I bet you were a jock even then."  
"I refuse to testify."  
"It might be better. But all jokes aside. I really never thought you would be so… broad. You are very handsome, Damianos."  
"Well, thank you. I needed this. Being surrounded by you three can really hit one's self-confidence, hard. I should take a photo of you all. That can't be real. I must have hit my head." 

Auguste grinned. "I look forward of seeing the episode where you two meet for the first time face to face. That has to be good. How are you holding up little brother?"  
"If you talk about me stressing out because of work: I will make you work until you drop after we get back. This was your idea, you take responsibility. Actually, I had planned to be back already but then this charming fellow came along and now I sit in Mexico with no phone. Everything else, I can't complain about."  
Jokaste grinned and arched an eyebrow. "Everything?" Her smirk was suggestive.  
"Yes, everything." Laurent arched an eyebrow of his own and let his fingers wander up over Damen's arm. 

Before the talk could turn anymore mortifying, they heard another voice, "If that aren't my pals Auguste and Damen!" Only Lazar could sound this amused and suggestive at the same time. "Fancy seeing you here." He drew near and the akielon Omega by his side started to smile as if someone had told him there was free cake. "Jokaste! Laurent! Good to see you." They all stood again and greeted the new commers. Pallas, the Omega, was really handsome. He was of a similar build to Laurent, although even a bit more muscly but his smile was so infectious, that Damen liked him after two seconds straight.  
"You must be Damen and you Auguste, am I right?" He greeted them and shook their hands. 

Lazar looked at Jokaste and Laurent as if he couldn't decide what he wanted to say. "Found your long-lost twin on the show?"  
"We two are not the siblings here", Jokaste informed and then smirked again.  
"What?" Lazar looked at Laurent and then at Auguste. "You have to be fucking with me! Are you two brothers?"  
"We are. And I'd rather not fuck you." Auguste shrugged and started to look at the drinks listed in the menu.  
"That explains why the two of you look like top-models. But why you two too? I have to be grateful for my unbelievable intellectual capabilities, otherwise I would start to develop a complex." Lazar pointed at Damen and Jokaste with an accusing finger. 

Damen looked at Jokaste, it was true, she looked like some celebrity. Her face was almost as perfectly shaped as Laurent's, high cheekbones and straight nose, big blue eyes and plush, dark pink lips. Her long blond hair fell in perfect waves to the small of her back and her body… well, sufficient to say, she looked gorgeous. He may have been tempted, hell, more than tempted, not even two weeks ago. Combined with her snark and ambition, she would have been the perfect next mistake. However, he never saw her and thus could determine, that her ambition was a little bit too focused on marrying well. He was not ashamed for his job or his income or his perspective in the future, but he also knew, that a woman like her needed something more than he could give. Someone like Auguste. The two of them matched perfectly. 

And he met Laurent. This almost too perfect person. And even without seeing him even once, he knew, that this person was everything he ever dreamed of. Intelligent, sarcastic and yet compassionate in the right moments. He was so smart in fact, that Damen already guessed at his status as genius, although they never talked about it. When he saw him, he couldn't not thank all the gods that this man would be his husband. He had actually asked, in one of his individual interviews: "You knew, he looked like this? The entire time? I mean really? Have you seen him?"  
He almost wept at his beauty, but even that was secondary to the person he was underneath.

"You make a highly appropriate point, Lazar, however, I think they didn't want to push their luck too much. They most likely chose people that everyone would find objectively pleasing to look at." Laurent sounded not one bit surprised and Damen found, that it actually made a lot of sense. They wanted this experiment to succeed, so most of the candidates had to look beautiful. Not that someone walked out only because the person they talked to looked… not so attractive.  
"You are so depressingly realistic," Lazar complained and the blond Omega just raised an eyebrow. Before they could get into a verbal sparring match, where the winner was already clear before it started, they heard a surprised cry. "Laurent! Pallas! Jokaste!" Then there was a dark haired, dark skinned Omega whirling into their middle. "Isander." Laurent scooted over, he almost sat in Damen's lap, not that the Alpha would complain. No, actually he wanted to throw the enchanting man over his shoulder and then disappear with him to somewhere else.

Torveld came to a stop at the table and Lazar patted him on the back. "Now old man, how are you holding up?" Isander, who was just 24, was 15 years younger than the oldest Alpha of the group but the man only smiled and said: "A gentleman never tells, my young friend."  
Jokaste laughed and said: "Hear hear! You should take the advice to heart Lazar."  
Damen had a bit of an ambivalent relationship with Torveld. He liked the other man, really, he did but he didn't like the fact, that he was that interested in Laurent for such a long time and Laurent had returned that interest.  
"Nice to meet you all in person." Isander smiled and Damen offered his hand for a shake. "I am Damen. Nice to meet you too." They all introduced themselves to Isander or Torveld in respective and when it was Laurent's turn, Damen made the mistake to look at Torveld. 

The older Alpha's eyes widened. He almost gaped and then there was a spark of something like desire. He reigned himself back in pretty fast, but it was enough for Damen to feel a bit uncomfortable. Laurent didn't give a sign that he had registered something unusual and when Vannes and Kashel arrived at the same time as Nikandros and Lykaios, the group was again distracted. Laurent and the female Alpha hit it off like long lost siblings. Kallias and Erasmus were the last couple to arrive and they all ordered something to drink.  
Laurent ordered a glass of white wine, like Jokaste. The two of them had their heads together and somehow the situation seemed like the start of something terrifying to Damen. He downed his whiskey and thus didn't see Auguste approach. The blond Alpha sat down beside him and just looked at him.

"Don't you say anything." He really didn't want to talk about it. Least of all with Auguste. However, the other man just grinned.  
"I won't, as compensation for the heart attack you allegedly had in the car when you found out. However, just know that I am very protective of my younger brother and should you intend to hurt him, I will find you and kill you." Auguste still smiled and this was the prove for Damen that the whole family was terrifying. Jokaste would fit in just well. He however… well that would be another story.  
His gaze wandered to Laurent and he observed how the Omega was engaged in a staring match with Nikandros while Jokaste sipped her wine without a care in the world. "I will give my best to make him happy Auguste."  
"More I cannot demand." 

"Now, I saw that look too and I am worried too," Auguste whispered, one hand muffling the microphone on the collar of his shirt. Damen knew, he talked about the look of desire in Torveld's gaze, every time Laurent only appeared in his field of vision.  
"I am not worried. I am jealous, Auguste. That is even worse. I have no right to be. Yet, I am." Damen didn't even try to muffle his words. Without context they wouldn't really make any sense.  
"I heard that you talked with Jokaste for a long time and I was jealous too, at that time, but now I know, that I don't have to be. That is not the same for you. He didn't back off completely. I understand why you are tense. And to be honest, I don't like it. I saw enough people looking at my brother like that, it never ended well." Auguste's gaze drifted to Laurent, who was now talking to Nikandros, who seemed to have a hard time keeping his temper in check. Jokaste nodded along, what seemed to infuriate Nik even more. 

"What did happen?"  
"Nothing special, he's just not a shallow person and he doesn't forgive superficiality easily." Auguste shrugged his shoulders. Again, Damen registered how similar the brothers really were.  
"I can't understand how others can't see the person he is. He is so much more than a beautiful face."  
"You talked with him for ten days through a wall, Damen. Naturally, you would see more. Not everybody was so lucky and, obviously, some who were didn't learn anything from this experience."  
Torveld interrupted Nikandros in his rant and Laurent smiled, pleasant and professional. Damen felt his temper rear its head. He gripped his glass with a bit more force and then looked back at Auguste. 

"Enough of me and your brother. How is it with you and Jokaste?"  
The other man raised one eyebrow but let the change of topic happen. "If you ask about the sex, it is spectacular."  
"Oh please, too much information. Why do you Veretians need to talk about sex all the time? I mean, good for you but I don't need to know!" Damen threw his hands in the air, exasperated.  
"Sorry. It's just so easy to tease you… No, seriously. It's so good, I am afraid I am missing something. What if everything shatters before my eyes? I don't get any younger and she is so beautiful. Sometimes I ask myself what why me?" He sounded so unsure, so vulnerable, that surprise had to be painted all over Damen's face. "I wouldn't have taken you for the unsure type, Auguste."

"Normally I am everything but." He raked his fingers through his hair and then rubbed his hand over his jaw. "I just look at her and then I think, what would have happened, had I met her on the street or in the grocery store."  
This made a lot of sense. Damen nodded slowly. "I once asked myself how I would have reacted, would I have met Laurent at work or in a coffee shop and I can tell you that I was horrified at the answer I had to give myself. I would have made such an ass out of myself. I can understand your point of view, but you chose her without knowing how she looked like and she chose you back. That is what is important."

"You really are given hope to an old man, Damianos. I am happy Laurent picked you out of all the available options. Otherwise I would have needed another excuse to become your friend."  
Damen laughed out loud. "Don't you worry, we live in the age of social media, I would have found you."  
"This sounds not really reassuring coming from a police officer." Auguste grinned and ordered another round of drinks for them from the bar, where they were positioned. 

"No matter how funny this has been up until now, I think you are needed over there."  
He inclined his head to the group of Nikandros, Torveld, Jokaste and Laurent. Nik looked very uncomfortable, Torveld a lot too eager, Jokaste faintly amused and Laurent unaffected, except for the looks he threw at his brother and Damen from time to time.  
"You think so? Not too much Alpha posturing?" Damen, who already wanted to go there and sweep Laurent off his feet ten minutes ago, looked at his (hopefully) future brother-in-law.

Auguste leaned in, as if he were to tell him a secret. "Maybe, but that is not wrong in every case and this situation is one of those exceptions."  
Damen grinned, straightened his shoulders, and that provoked a giggle from Auguste. "Come on man, we all know who fulfills more Alpha ideals between you two. You don't have to make anyone feel inadequate."  
"Just let me. I feel inadequate."

Auguste raised an eyebrow. He looked so much like his brother in that moment that Damen was again surprised, that he didn't figure it out the moment he saw Laurent.  
"Okay, maybe not inadequate but actually, I like Torveld. I just never thought he would like Laurent quite so much." There was no sense in delaying the inevitable. With a last look at Auguste Damen made his way to the group of his fiancé. The Omega actually seemed to be relieved, that he decided to join them. 

Damen lifted his arm in a questioning manner and Laurent immediately nestled up against his side. When he draped his arm over his fiancé's shoulder, he couldn't help the satisfied grin on his lips and when he looked down at Laurent just to see that he already looked up, Damen really couldn't help himself when he brushed the thumb of his free hand over his cheekbone. Laurent just said: "Let's get something to drink," and Damen who was a total sucker for the blond Omega grinned and dragged him away. Surprisingly Laurent didn't go to the bar but inside the hotel. He shrugged, when they were questioned by one of the production assistants and said: "I forgot my wallet and Damianos will help me look for it." 

Then he went straight for the elevators and didn't say another word until the doors opened and then closed behind them again. The elevator was empty, and Laurent was immediately on him. He backed Damen against the wall and the Alpha had to admit, that he picked up on Laurent's intention in a second. Maybe, if he had a more innocent mind, he wouldn't have come to this very conclusion but as that was not the case, he drew Laurent closer and buried one hand in his hair. The Omega gasped, his hands roamed over Damen's body. 

"You are so damn beautiful," and it was true. Laurent was beautiful inside and out. The Alpha knew, that he wouldn't be able to part from him without a broken heart. "You are perfect."  
His tongue mapped every inch of the enticing, hot mouth pressed against him and when Laurent backed away because they soon would reach their floor, he breathed as if he had run a marathon. Damen dragged his gaze up and down Laurent's figure. He knew exactly what he would do as soon as they reached their room.

"For fucks sake, Damianos. Don't look at me like that." Laurent leaned against the far wall of the elevator, the tension between them almost tangible. When the "ding" that signaled their arrival broke the silence, Laurent was out of the elevator immediately. He walked to their door, his back to Damen, he was calm and collected, or at least he looked like it, his steps sure and not too fast. His hand didn't tremble when he held the keycard against the lock, no hurry when he twisted the knob. 

Damen felt himself unravel even faster. He wanted him beneath him, flushed, out of control and begging. He pushed himself into the room, lifted Laurent by his ass and pressed him back against the still closing door. It shut with a bang but neither of them cared. Laurent groaned and said: "Yes. Fucking yes. Fuck me, Damen."  
"Sweetheart, be assured, that is exactly what I intend to do. You should see yourself. Always in control… makes me want to see how long it would take for me to take you apart. To make you beg."  
"Not now, but tonight. Now you should just fuck me." 

Damen couldn't agree more. There was a filming crew waiting for them downstairs. He shifted Laurent in his arms, until he could support him with just one hand, then he opened the button of Laurent's pants and kissed him hard. The Omega gasped, when he felt teasing fingertips against his cock and Damen grinned into the kiss.  
"You really are a giant animal, Damen." His fingers squeezed the muscles of the Alpha's upper arms and he let his head fall back against the door with a thud.  
"We need to get your pants off, sweetheart." Laurent didn't look thrilled. He seemed to like being manhandled a bit. 

Damen made a soothing noise, low in his throat and said: "I will fuck you against that door afterwards. Wouldn't that please you?"  
"Oh, it would please me a lot, Alpha." Laurent lowered his lashes in a clearly calculated manner, it had Damen's cock on the verge of bursting in a second. He set the blond man back down again and they had Laurent's shoes and pants off in mere moments. Immediately Damen pressed him back against the door. Laurent wrapped his legs around his waist and Damen was grateful, that they had had the presence of mind to open his own jeans beforehand. He pressed up against his fiancé and Laurent tugged at his hair. "Fuck me, Damen. Hurry up."

"Patience, sweetheart." He wanted Laurent just as much, but he needed to make sure he wouldn't hurt him. He pushed two fingers into the wet opening and moaned brokenly into the Omega's neck, when he felt him already slick and soft. Without any resistance he could add a third finger and stretch him for some seconds.  
"Good thinking. I forgot how big you are for a second," the blond man praised and gasped, when Damen crooked his fingers and found his prostate.  
"Thank you. I try to keep up and think ahead."  
"I love people who think ahead." Another gasp, that one a bit louder and Damen inserted a fourth finger. 

He still held Laurent pressed up against the door with one hand and felt the muscles start to burn in his shoulder, but he loved it. Most of all, when Laurent wrapped his hands around the straining cords and gave an appreciating groan.  
"Yes, right there…"  
Damen mouthed at his neck, sucked a bruise into his collar bone, where Laurent could cover it up without problems. Then he removed his fingers, immediately the blue eyes were on him. "Finally, happy?"  
"Oh please, be quiet. I just like to fuck you without hurting you." Damen took his cock in hand and guided himself against the slippery entrance. 

He pushed his tip inside and Laurent moaned, low and desperate.  
"I really appreciate your concern, but I am not made out of glass."  
"Just let me care for you. And it isn't as if I wouldn't fuck you. It was just a one-minute delay."  
"At least two minutes. Time is money, Damianos."  
Damen decided to shut him up by lowering him completely onto his cock. Laurent didn't shut up, naturally, "Fuck yes. That's it. You feel good. Move." At least his focus had changed.

Now, the Alpha chuckled darkly into the pale skin of his throat. "Are you always that impatient?"  
"No, only when I needed to fend of advances of an Alpha that is not mine. And you only stood there and watched with jealousy, as if I would elope at any moment." He paused and then continued while looking into Damen's eyes: "I want to smell like you."  
"Why? Because then you would be left alone?" Damen gave one exploring thrust. Laurent gasped and said: "Yes, that. But I also really like your scent, Damianos." 

A growl built in his chest and he dragged his tongue up to Laurent's jaw. He gave one long and hard thrust into the wet, slick heat and bit down on the sharp jawline. "Yes, faster, Damen."  
What came out of Damen's mouth was wholly to be attributed to his Alpha brain. He rumbled right into Laurent's ear and asked: "Where are your manners, sweetheart?" Well, maybe not everything was to be attributed to his Alpha brain. He knew, he could be dominant in bed, but he didn't plan to be now. But it totally did the trick. Laurent moaned breathlessly and answered: "Please, Damen fuck me faster. Alpha, please." THAT definitively was the Omega part of him talking. It had to be. Laurent was not one for power play in bed, was he?

"That's a good sweetheart. I will give you what you want, if you ask so nicely. Hold on, sweetheart."  
Laurent moaned a bit louder. The sound guttural. It was the loudest Damen ever heard him and he was intrigued. Maybe the blond man was up for power play after all. But now was not the time to think about those promising cues. He had to keep a promise. 

He shifted Laurent a bit until he had one asscheek in each hand, his fingers spreading the Omega open and helping to ease the slide even more. He lifted him up and lowered him down onto his cock. He felt the slick running over his hands slowly. Laurent was soaking wet and the lewd noises accompanying every thrust made had his head spin. He felt how the slick insides twitched around his cock, could feel how even more slick dripped out of the blond Omega and the smell… The smell was the second-best thing in the world, right after Laurent's blissed out eyes. 

The ginger in the air was heavy, even though Laurent wore scent patches and it had to come from the slick alone. Damen wanted to mark him up. Wanted to add his own scent to the heavenly cloud around them.  
"Alpha." Laurent looked at him with flushed cheeks, while he rubbed one hand over Damen's neck. "I want to scent you." It was as if he had read his mind. Maybe he had. Damen couldn't determine anymore where he ended and where Laurent began.

"Rip it off, sweetheart." He was ready to take the pain. It would fade and the pleasure he experienced right at this moment would certainly drown the sting. But Laurent shook his head and his touch was gentle, when he started to peel. Damen stilled for a moment, so that the patch could be removed by deft fingers without wasting time. When it was done, Laurent nosed against his scent gland and then whined low in his throat. "Please."

Even if Damen had intended to make him wait, he knew, he wouldn't be able to hold back any longer. He held Laurent close and pounded into him in abandon. His hands grabbed harder at Laurent's bottom, the slick making his grip slippery. Somehow, he knew, that there would be bruises later. The thought made his head spin, he rumbled deep in his chest and gripped the firm flesh even harder. The Omega had his lips against his throat, the one hand he had in Damen's hair tugged his head back and he gasped into his sweaty skin. "Yes. Fuck, this feels good."  
Damen growled and felt Laurent constrict around him. "Damen, I… am close." He moaned and pressed his lips harder against the Alpha's neck. 

"Yes, sweetheart. Come for me. Come on, Laurent", his voice dropped even lower, and the Omega gasped right into his ear, when he came. "Damen."  
It was the most beautiful sound he ever heard. He knew Laurent's voice before he saw his face. He knew his words before he knew his body. He felt attracted to this abstract concept of Laurent before he ever saw him and to hold him close and hear him gasp his name in pleasure was better than anything ever was before. 

He felt his orgasm crash over him, although he carefully held his knot out of Laurent's body. He wrapped one hand around the inflating knot, it would go down in less than five minutes. And yes, the first time he had had sex, he had been shocked to discover, that his knot would stay inflated so much longer, when inside a body.  
They stood there, supported by the door and sucking air into their lungs. 

"That was…" Laurent took one deep breath, "longer than I intended to look for my wallet."  
Damen laughed. "Nobody would have believed us anyway." He moved one hand to Laurent's face and brushed his thumb over his lower lip. He groaned when a moist, clever tongue licked over the pad of his finger. "Sweetheart, stop or else there will be a very angry production assistant dragging our asses back down."  
"I bet they would need the director himself, at least. But we really need to go back."  
"I know, hold on tight." Damen made his way to the bathroom and Laurent nibbled on his jaw. 

"What a strong Alpha I have."  
Said Alpha took one stuttering breath. "You should not say that."  
"Why? You are strong. You fucked me against the door, hard, just moments ago. I think I am qualified to assess your strength. Just if someone should ask. You should add that to your resumé on LinkedIn, I will confirm."  
"Laurent. Please, stop talking or we never get out of this room." He already felt his cock give an interested twitch. Then he set Laurent down in the shower, averted the spray, before turning the water on and started removing his shirt. Laurent looked at him with clouded eyes. 

"That would certainly be a problem. I really want to look at your LinkedIn and Instagram profile and I don't have my phone." He was so beautiful, that it hurt. His flushed cheeks and the tousled hair made him just human enough to be approachable. He shoved Damen's shirt over his head, then pushed his jeans and boxer briefs over his ass, while Damen kicked off his shoes and socks. Laurent tugged him under the spray of the shower, and they hurried to get clean and presentable.

Ten minutes later they made their way back down again. Damen had replaced the scent patch on his neck and Laurent had taken one look at the bruise on his collar bone and decided to wear a button-down shirt… and he left the two top buttons open.  
The Alpha's gaze was drawn to the edge of the bruise that could be seen. It was as if he was magnetized. Drawn to this bewitching man at his side for all of eternity. He hadn't really expected the experiment to succeed. Deep down he suspected that it was a too easy to pretend if the other person couldn't see the facial expressions while talking. But it was exactly the opposite. He didn't have the feeling that he 'needed' to pretend. They couldn't look at him and judge him, if it didn't work out, then there would be no regret because the other person was attractive, just the knowledge that it was better this way. 

And Laurent, well… Damen had found out while talking to the Omega, that he had to be attractive, just because of the way he had talked about previous experiences with lovers. Yet, he had concentrated on the character the Omega on the other side of the wall had. This had been proofed, when he and Jokaste had split ways. He had also known before seeing her, that she was attractive, but he had also realized that it wouldn't work out between them. 

And now he stood beside Laurent in the elevator, infatuated and in love. Not even Nikandros could say, that he fell for a beautiful face, if he never saw how beautiful that face was. They reached the ground floor and went back to their group. Or better, they went to the bar and ordered. Laurent one glass of sparkling water and Damen a ginger ale. Yes, he knew that this was very desperate.  
Laurent only lifted an eyebrow and then smirked subtly. 

Auguste, naturally, noticed them first. He was in a heated argument with Vannes and Kallias. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and when Laurent gave one, almost unnoticeable shrug, he excused himself and went over to them. "Nice shirt. Something spilled while looking for your wallet, little brother?" He grinned wickedly.  
"You could say that."  
"Good for you. Nice bruise by the way."  
"Thank you. Out of respect for you, as my older brother, I won't mention the very prominent Hickey on your neck." Laurent laughed when he saw his brother's satisfied grin. "Yes, but that one was already there, when we arrived here."  
"You can't know, if mine wasn't there too." Laurent shrugged again and nipped at his water.

"You are right. I can't. But I can certainly say, that you didn't smell so foreign before you left."  
"Something spilled." Now the smirk on Laurent's lips was explicit and Damen felt himself flush. Auguste only laughed. "Well then, I won't ask anymore. At least I know, that we all have fantastic sex. That's not true for everyone here."  
"Oh?"  
"While you two were away to search Laurent's wallet, there was a bit of gossip time. Apparently Nikandros and Lykaios want to wait a bit longer, Kallias und Erasmus were both too tired yesterday to do more than sleep and Torveld and Isander have a bit of starting problems."

Damen was not surprised to hear, that his best friend wanted more time with his fiancée before having sex. He also doubted, that Kallias and Erasmus would wait longer than for tonight… but Torveld und Isander surprised him. Isander was beautiful und clearly attracted to the older Alpha.  
"What problems?" Laurent asked. His train of thought clearly the same as Damen's.  
"I heard from Jokaste, apparently Torveld blocked all of Isander's attempts at intimacy. He is a bit concerned." 

Jokaste appeared at his elbow, as if summoned and supplied: "I talked to him some more and apparently Torveld normally prefers blond, fit, tall Omegas." She looked pointedly at Laurent, who sipped his water as if he didn't notice her gaze.  
"Nothing wrong with that, maybe he needs more time to adapt. It wasn't easy to connect voice and knowledge with face and body," Auguste argued, "even for me and I really can't say that you are not my type, sugar." He grinned, clearly trying to diffuse the tension that built up.

Jokaste rolled her eyes and grabbed Laurent by the wrist to drag him away from the two Alphas. But only two steps, then she covered her microphone and whispered: "Laurent, you need to be careful. I know you are sure in your decision for Damen, but I doubt that everyone else is as sure."  
"I know, thank you for your concern, Jo."  
She nodded, flung her blond hair over her shoulder and they went back to Damen and Auguste. 

Laurent kissed his fiancé's jaw and nuzzled against his neck. "I want to go back to our room." The Alpha looked down at him with a smile. His dimples on full display, Laurent felt his knees go weak. "I know, sweetheart, I want to go back too."  
The breeze tousled his black curls artfully and the Omega felt the desire to bury his hands in them and kiss Damen senseless. But he couldn't and wouldn't. Yet, he couldn't stop his thoughts, when they went to the delicious scent of Damen. The Alpha smelt like everything Laurent loved. His scent was a blend of ocean and oranges, mixed with cinnamon if he was aroused. His mouth watered only thinking about it.  
He put his glass back onto the bar top with a bit more force than was strictly necessary.

"I am going to talk to Kashel." If he stood there any longer, beside this man who was so perfect, he would have to worry about leaking slick and as sexy as this was, when he was with Damen in their room, it was not sexy at all in public with everybody able to smell him.  
As the evening dragged on, Laurent was not only bored but also frustrated. He talked to Vannes and Kashel for quite some time, then came the very delicious dinner and then he let himself be dragged to the side by Nikandros who first apologized just to then tell him that he would come for him, should he intend to hurt Damen. 

It was heartwarming and Laurent rolled his eyes very subtly. Nikandros sputtered and Laurent laughed. That was pretty entertaining, but the rest of the evening was boring. Lazar and Pallas sat together, the Omega in the lap of the veretian man and talked in low voices. Lykaios held Nik back from arguing further with him, Erasmus and Kallias were in another world, maybe lost in each other's eyes, Auguste and Damen had some ridiculous bet going that had something to do with stacking cups, Jokaste talked to Isander, the dark haired Omega had taken a liking to her, as she was fierce and a bit protective over him, who was one of the youngest participants. 

This only left Laurent and Torvel, exactly the man he wanted to avoid. It had worked out pretty well while eating dinner, as he was placed between Vannes and Auguste, with Damen across from him. But now, there was no seating arrangement protecting him anymore. So, he moved around the bar, always in motion, but his luck didn't last long.  
"So, you chose Damianos in the end." Laurent almost rolled his eyes. But he needed to remember that he was on camera. One directly in front of his face. 

"I did. And you chose Isander."  
"I did. How are you two doing?"  
"Everything is fine. And how are you two?"  
"Well, we have our problems."  
Laurent really didn't expect to hear that from Torveld directly. "Ah."  
"I sometimes think that I might have made a mistake. He is so young."  
The blond Omega nodded along, his face one of indifference. "But he loves you, Torveld. He is nice, intelligent and clearly besotted. I don't think you made a mistake." 

For the first time, Laurent looked at the other Alpha with an assessing gaze. Torveld was attractive, very attractive. He had a prominent jaw, a straight nose and beautiful, dark brown eyes. His dark hair was streaked with silver, what gave him a sophisticated air and the neatly trimmed beard with even more silver in it, gave him the appearance of a "DILF", as Nicaise would have called him. However, Laurent didn't even think about a comparison. Damen was everything he ever wanted and just another handsome Alpha wouldn't sway him in the slightest. 

"But I am fifteen years older. What if I fast forward his life?"  
"Then you two will have to work it out, a relationship is never easy. And you two have a lot of differences to work through. But I am sure that it will be worth it at the end of the day."  
"You are right. I should stop worrying. How are you? Are you happy?"  
Laurent couldn't stop the small smile that made the corners of his mouth lift up. "I am very happy, Torveld." His eyes searched for Damen on their own accord and when he saw him laughing with his head thrown back at something Auguste most likely had told him, his icy exterior started to melt, just a little bit. He realized how the expression in his eyes softened and how his shoulders relaxed just the tiniest bit. 

Damen, who must have realized that he was being watched, looked in his direction and immediately his laugher died down a bit. But a soft smile stayed behind. Laurent looked back at Torveld and was almost a bit embarrassed about this so uncharacteristically display.  
"I think this experiment might be the best thing that ever happened to me. I love the fact that Damen didn't look at my face and wanted to fuck me first and then started to get to know me."  
Torveld nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean, it was not about the appearance."  
"Yes, and that is really refreshing." 

They had reached Isander and Jokaste. As intended on Laurent's part and clearly as a surprise for Torveld, who looked down at his fiancé. Isander beamed up to him and patted the space beside him. "Sit down, love. Jokaste told me about her job. She is head of IT at her company. It is so interesting to hear about her work. Apparently, I had no idea how the IT industry works." 

Yes, Laurent was very sure, that Torveld hadn't made a mistake. Isander adored the older Alpha and that was more than Laurent could ever claim for himself. He knew, that he was not the adoring type of Omega, that sat happily in the shadow of his Alpha. Not that there was something wrong with doing exactly that, but he simply couldn't. His ego was too big and his tongue too sharp. He wouldn't have been able to make an Alpha like Torveld happy and Torveld wouldn't have been able to make him happy. They were both better off with the choice they had made. 

Laurent, who knew a lot about Jokaste's job, as they both were workaholics and had found a kindred spirit while confined in the house, zoomed out, when Torveld started to ask her questions. Isander however, wanted to know more about his job too.  
"Laurent, you are a lawyer aren't you? And your brother, too?"  
He snapped out of his little oasis of peace and nodded. "Yes, it's a family tradition almost. Our parents and uncle were lawyers too."  
"That must be quite a legacy, that rests on your shoulders?" Isander was a cinnamon roll and yes, Laurent knew, what that meant.

"Well, after our parents died, the firm fell to my brother, he was already a lawyer there and he had worked his way up through the ranks but now he was not only a partner but also the owner. I am the younger sibling. Auguste had to take over, while looking after me. He is the one, who I look up to."  
Jokaste looked at him in surprise. "He never told me, about him taking over after your parents' death."  
"Well, he doesn't talk about it." Laurent shrugged. "He lets people assume, that someone else filled the gap and that he is the lucky heir who could sit into a perfectly running office after he was ready."

That was apparently the moment, Auguste and Damen gave up and came over. Auguste drew Jokaste up and in his arms, clearly drunk. "God, I love you." He kissed her hard and desperate and Laurent felt a bit like crying. Finally, his brother got the happy end he deserved. "You should stop him from drinking more. Last time he was absolutely wasted, he started hugging everything and everybody that breathed in his nearer vicinity."  
"Laurent! That was one time and it was Christmas." Auguste sounded scandalized.

The younger brother rolled his eyes. "It was not really Christmas, Auguste. For context purposes: We celebrated Christmas in January that year because we had a case and couldn't take time off of work at real Christmas."  
"Now, come on, baby. We should probably go to our room." Jokaste slung her arm around Auguste's waist and he looked down at her adoringly.  
"This discussion is not over, little brother. And I don't retreat from this argument."

Laurent nodded. "We will talk tomorrow."  
"Damn sure we will talk tomorrow." Auguste let go of Jokaste and drew Laurent, who stood up, as soon as his brother took a step towards him, close to his chest. "I love you, little brother. See you tomorrow."  
"Love you, too. Now, you should really let yourself be taken to your room by your gorgeous fiancée."  
"Thank you for coming with me."  
"Always, Auguste. I will always have your back." Laurent didn't know where this sappy side of him came from, but it normally didn't make an appearance, at least in public. He pushed Auguste into Jokaste's arms and sat back down. "You two really should take the chance to escape. I have the bad feeling, that we others will have to sit here for a bit longer."  
Jokaste laughed and together they made their way into the hotel. 

Laurent only now registered his mistake. He really sat back down at the table with Isander and Torveld. Without Jokaste. Fuck.  
But now there was Damen. Damen, who had only looked on at the display of brotherly affection. Whose face was pale and whose expression was pained and longing at the same time. "Damen, do you want something to drink?" Laurent knew, that the Alpha thought about his own brother.  
"No. I'm good." He sat down beside the Omega and Laurent grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed. A soft, tired smile was the answer. 

Then he looked at Isander. "How are you Isander? I couldn't talk to you today at all."  
The Omega smiled and the moment of sadness was over. Laurent was grateful for Damen, who took over the small talk from Jokaste like a pro. He could lean back and let him talk with Isander. Later Nikandros and Lykaios sat with them and Vannes challenged Laurent to the quiz that was apparently an event of the bar. He didn't even hesitate a second and the two of them made their way over to the other participants. 

They were handed tablets and admonished to not show the other the answer. The two of them looked at each other and only shook their heads. May the better win. In the end it was a lot more challenging than Laurent thought it to be. Vannes was almost as good as him. Almost was the important part. In the middle Lazar and Pallas lined up behind them and started yelling wrong answers, while drinking a shot if Laurent or Vannes were wrong. As this was rarely the case, they switched the game and drank a shot whenever both of them were right. 

When Laurent felt a kiss on top of his head, he almost forgot to log his answer. After doing just that, he looked at Damen. The Alpha grinned down at him. "You are sure you are human?"  
"Yes, totally sure. Just because I use my brain better than the average person doesn't mean that I am something inhumane." His fiancé laughed and then sat beside Lazar and Pallas, who by now both were pretty drunk. 

Laurent only shook his head. "If you continue drinking like that, none of you will be able to have sex tonight." That caused them both to switch to water. The production assistant closest to Laurent only mumbled a "Thank god!" and the next round of the game was starting. 

TV shows. Fuck. Laurent really didn't have the time to watch them and thus knew almost nothing. Vannes almost fell from her chair with laughter when he didn't know what the Red Wedding was. "How can you not know that? Even people who didn't watch Game of Thrones know that!" Everyone else looked at Laurent, as if he had three heads. "I don't have time to watch TV." 

Naturally, he failed the next four questions, too. He was relieved, when the next round was about cooking. Vannes was now one point ahead of him but as she apparently was a disaster in the kitchen, they had exactly the same amount of points after the five cooking questions. Next on was rock music and so on. Laurent won with a two points lead, while after Vannes, there came nobody for a long time. 

The Alpha grinned and clapped Laurent on the shoulder. "That was very fun. Let's do it again. You live in Delfleur, I live in Delfleur, we should meet regularly after the whole thing here is over."  
"You are right. We should. There is this pub with the best quiz in town." They made plans to meet the first time after the experiment and then, finally, they all could go to bed. 

The next morning started with lazy kisses and wandering hands. An adventure was planned for them and they decided to go climbing, as both of them missed physical outdoor activities. The camera team was not really amused, but at least they would have fun. Over breakfast they were informed that Auguste and Jokaste wanted to go riding. And that they were both too tired to stay up that night and would most likely miss their return.

"Have fun you two." Auguste kissed the top of Laurent's hair and then took Jokaste's hand to kiss her knuckles, before leading her to the car.  
"You too. Don't do anything I wouldn't." Laurent waved after them and then looked at Damen. "Ready?"  
"Yes. I can't wait to get out of here." It was true, they did attract a lot of attention. 

Off they were and Laurent discovered, that his fiancé didn't look like that just because of good genes and some hours in a fitness center. He only started to sweat after the sun started to hit their wall and even then, everything looked so damn effortlessly. Laurent almost growled in frustration. He was very fit himself but up until now only Auguste was so effortlessly good at everything. Seeing his future husband grinning down at him with a charming smile really let him question his life choices. 

When they had to return, both of them were freshly showered and Laurent tucked a wet curl behind Damen's ear. "I had a lot of fun today. Thank you."  
"Me too. I would love to do more of those things with you, Laurent." Damen grinned, his dimples on full display.  
"Yes. But now we should go back and complain about different aches, so that we can stay in without having to join for dinner. We could order room service."

"You, my dear, are an evil genius. I will just let myself get dragged down." The Alpha kissed him gently.  
"Two people with moral high ground would be pretty boring, wouldn't they? So, I need to stop us from being boring or we won't appear on TV at all."  
"I don't think you have to worry about that. Look at you, everybody wants to see people like you on TV." Damen brushed his knuckles against Laurent's cheekbone and the Omega was overwhelmed with tenderness. Then the car approached, and they climbed inside. 

Back at the hotel, they could go to their room, apparently, they were cute enough through the day.  
Laurent could be honest, the last weeks did mess up his schedule and the burn in his muscles reminded him, that he had missed out on more than one training session. He sat down on the bed and looked Damen, who smiled at him.  
"We should book a massage tomorrow, what do you think?"  
Laurent nodded. "That would be a good idea." He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with the whole thing on camera, but one could try, and he was not a person to back down from a challenge. 

However, Damen wouldn't be Damen if he didn't realize the minor twist in Laurent's mouth.  
"Or we could stay here. I think they have enough material from us, I talked to one of the camera men. Apparently, you are correct and we two are too boring."  
"I told you, we haven't got enough dramatics. My assistant will kill me." Yes, Nicaise would be disappointed in him.  
"I think, there would be more than enough potential for dramatics, but maybe they want to wait until we get back."

Laurent smiled. "What dramatics could there be?" He knew exactly that the situation with Torveld had the potential to get out of hand. He stood and went over to Damen. The Alpha watched him warily. "You know, sometimes I think you are doing it on purpose. Getting me all hot and bothered, sweetheart."

"Only sometimes?" Laurent looked up through his lashes. A look that always fulfilled his purpose. And Damen was no exception. He groaned, almost as if in pain and clenched his fists. "I never do things without a purpose behind them, Damianos." He touched the palm of his hand against the Alphas pectoral and smiled up at him. "What was it about staying in and ordering room service?"  
"Yes, we should do that." The words were breathless and spoke of controlled desire. Laurent would have a lot of fun that night.

Three days later was their final day of the stay in Mexico. Soon they would return to Delfleur and move in with each other. Laurent could go to work again. More or less regularly. Damen still had two weeks of holidays. The Omega almost vibrated with eagerness to get back. He enjoyed the time with his fiancé, no discussion there, but he also missed work and the drive he normally had.  
This was also the day they met up with the other couples. 

Surprisingly, Kallias and Erasmus seemed to be fighting. Laurent immediately picked up on the bad mood, when he sat down beside the other Omega.  
"What happened?"  
"Nothing and that is the problem."  
He furrowed his brow. "Why?"  
"Why nothing happened or why that is a problem?" Erasmus finally looked at him and his blue eyes were filled with sadness, embarrassment and worry.

"Both."  
"I don't know why nothing happened, that is the problem. I tried to talk to him, but he kind of yelled at me as soon as I did bring up the topic. I wouldn't have a problem, if he told me that he doesn't think I am attractive or that our connection is purely emotional and there is no spark, but I can't go on like this. I think I let him down… that he thinks I cheated him in the pods."  
"Did you tell him just that?"  
Erasmus looked at him again. A blush spreading over his cheeks. His skin otherwise pale against his honey curls, although he wasn't as pale as Laurent. "I… didn't."

"You should. Open communication is very important and maybe it's not what you think it is. Maybe he is insecure about something or doesn't want to let you down. There are quite a lot of things concerning sex and intimacy that do embarrass and scare people. And you both come from Akielos, your culture isn't as open about this topic as culture in Vere is."  
Erasmus nodded. "I will talk to him after dinner. Thank you, Laurent."  
"You're welcome." He patted the soft curls of the other Omega and then stood. 

Kallias looked over with something akin to jealousy and Laurent smiled at him. He moved to Damen and sat down again. Kallias, who sat across from them, opened his mouth to say something but Laurent just cut him off: "You should go and comfort your fiancé. He misses you."  
The Alpha looked surprised. As if he expected Laurent to cut him down with words or throw accusations into the room. But he stood without another word.  
"Kallias, just one advise from me: Whatever you don't want to tell him, just do it. I can't be as bad as what he imagines."  
He nodded and then went over to the apprehensive looking Omega. 

Laurent observed, how he took a trembling, delicate hand in his own and kissed the knuckles and how some of the tension in Erasmus shoulders seemed to drain out. Nikandros on the other hand observed him and the blond man lifted an eyebrow. "What?"  
"Nothing. I just never thought you were… the type to be empathetic and understanding." Laurent felt how Damen's thigh muscles cramped up under his hand. He squeezed reassuringly.

"Yes, I know. You thought I was a cast iron bitch, and you know what? You are right. However, I can also understand other people struggling and this situation here is no war and no competition. Thus, I can curb down on my normal ruthlessness."  
Nikandros sighed. "I am sorry. That was uncalled for from my side and I shouldn't have said it." Damen relaxed a tiny bit, but Laurent didn't want Nikandros to take the blame. He knew, how he appeared and which impression others had from him.

"No. I wanted to know what you thought, you have nothing to apologize for. Especially, because you are right. I wouldn't be as good at my job if I let myself be swayed by such emotions as sympathy."  
"I know." Nikandros looked down at his hands. Laurent smirked. "I know, that you know. I heard quite a lot about you, Nikandros of Sycion and partners."  
He laughed and that was the reaction Laurent aimed for. Damen relaxed further and started drinking his coffee. Lykaios stared at Laurent, as if he had accomplished some miracle. 

"What is so funny?", Isander asked, when Torveld and he sat down beside Nikandros and Lykaios. "Oh, Laurent just showed us all that he is not the heartless bastard I thought him to be and at the same time gave an indirect compliment about my capabilities as a lawyer. I think he wanted to prevent me from appearing like a total asshole on TV." All eyes were on the blond Omega, even Kallias and Erasmus looked up from their hushed conversation and that was the view, that greeted Lazar and Pallas, when they approached their table. 

"Why do you all look, as if you want to fuck Laurent very tenderly against the silkiest bed in the world?", Lazar asked. Pallas elbowed him, hard, and he amended: "Well, aside from Torveld and Damianos, that is. We all know these two are thirsty as fuck for this cold-hearted asshole." This caused Pallas to blanch and hit him over the head. Torveld looked horrified, Isander hurt and Damen annoyed while Laurent leaned back and rolled his eyes. "You really should think first and then talk, Lazar."

"Ah, I didn't know that we pretended this was a secret." The whole table descended into embarrassed silence.  
"What's a secret?" Jokaste and Vannes asked at the same time. The last two couples joining them. Auguste sat down across from Laurent and raised his eyebrow in typical d'Arles manier. "I think it would be better, if I didn't know."  
"No, really, I just exposed the truth about Torveld's desire for your brother to the whole world. I thought this was common knowledge." 

Nikandros looked at Lazar with something akin to disgust in his eyes. "Is it a requirement for Veretians to be assholes? Are you born with the trait or is it something that is trained into you in school?"  
"Now… let's all calm down," Auguste said in his lawyer-voice and looked from Lazar to Torveld to his brother and then to Nikandros. He sounded calm and collected. As if nothing could shake him. It was a voice Laurent was intimately familiar with, most often used during his teenage years. 

"No need to start an argument. Nik, I know you love me, and I am veretian too, so please don't throw such general insults at Lazar, he is an asshole without the benefit of his birthplace as an excuse. Lazar, you can't just embarrass half the table and hurt the other half with your careless attitude and then expect us to just let it go. Apologize and then we all should eat dinner."  
Laurent had the best brother; he wouldn't accept any disagreement on that point. Whatever he did in past lives to deserve Auguste, he would forever be grateful. 

Lazar looked chastised enough and ground out a "Sorry," and then they ate dinner.  
Later Nik ordered one round of drinks and that was the start of a truly incredible night of drinking and trying to forget what calamity Lazar's word had caused. Laurent downed one shot after the other, while trying to forget Isander's face when the words had hit him. Damen beside him seemed just as desperate, but Laurent suspected that it took a lot more to knock him out. Biologically Alphas had a higher tolerance and Damen was huge, even for an Alpha, more space to distribute all the alcohol. 

Kallias and Erasmus had taken their leave almost an hour ago and, as neither of them returned, at least that problem seemed to be solved. Lazar tried to, drunkenly, explain that he didn't want to hurt others with his loose mouth to an equally drunk Nikandros, who tried to clarify that the world didn't work like that and that people didn't work like that, either.

Vannes and Kashel sat kissing in one corner and got up, right when Laurent looked up to wave his empty glass at a waiter. The female Alpha patted his hair while Kashel said: "It's not your fault Laurent. You shouldn't feel guilty."  
"Yeah, I know." Yet, that didn't really help in the slightest. The two looked at him with pity and then left. 

Laurent suddenly couldn't sit there with Isander, Torveld and Damen and got up. He needed a lot of concentration to not sway and have the same sure step as under normal circumstances. But he did it and walked to the outdoor bar. The bartender looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hard night?"  
"You could say that. Can I get another tequila?"  
"Sure. Do you want to talk about it?"  
"You wouldn't believe me. I can't believe it myself and I was there." Laurent downed the shot. "Just keep them coming."  
"You could try me. I am a bartender."

"Well, I take part in an experiment. Where you talk to people without ever seeing them and then you decide if you want to marry one of them, also without ever meeting face to face."  
The woman looked at him with wide eyes.  
"I told you it wasn't your normal rough night. But yes, it worked and now the group behind me and I are all here because we got engaged to someone we haven't seen before. The problem is, that I talked to two Alphas for a pretty long time, before deciding. A decision I never regretted, just to clear up that misunderstanding." 

"We split amicably and I still think it's for the best. But the other Alpha apparently is interested, especially after seeing me and the person he now is engaged to side by side. He wants to fuck me, but most people want to fuck me to be honest, so that isn't the problem either. The problem is, that one of the others did reveal this little fact before dinner to the whole table, the fiancé of said Alpha and my own fiancé included. And now I really need that shot."

The bartender placed two before him. "You need them."  
"Thanks."  
"Well, it explains why you are drinking like that, but it doesn't explain why you look as if you ruined the evening."  
"I know I didn't. But the other Omega is such a good person and I feel guilty, that because of this damned face of mine, he now apparently is unhappy. And I don't like to be exposed like that. I am happy with my fiancé; he is everything I could have wished for and I hate the thought that this won't be the last time something like that happens. I don't want him to be angry with me."  
"Well, if it would have been reversed and someone would have liked to fuck your fiancé, would you be angry with him?"  
"No, of course not!"  
"So, why do you think that he would be angry with you?" She placed the next shot before him while he mulled over a possible answer.

"I had some pretty bad experiences in my past, I think. Where the Alphas I slept with had the impression that nobody was allowed to look at me and when somebody did, they placed the blame on me. Unnecessary to say that those relationships never lasted for more than some nights of fun."  
"Not so much fun, if you ask me. I know that some Alphas are assholes like that, but you seem to know your fiancé in another way than one knows a one-night stand. Shouldn't you know how he would react?"  
Laurent perked up. "You are right. I fucking know him! You are a genius."

She grinned and then pushed a plate with small sandwiches to him. "You should eat something, before the whole tequila does make a reappearance."  
He nodded but then Isander appeared at his side and he almost threw up without the help of tequila. The other Omega was at least as drunk as he was and let his forehead sink on the bar top.  
"Laurent, I am so sorry." Isander mumbled almost unintelligible.  
"What do you have to be sorry for, Isander? If someone should be sorry between the two of us, then that should be me." 

The bartender raised an eyebrow in question and Laurent only nodded. He caressed the back of the younger man and ordered two glasses of water.  
"You have nothing to be sorry for. You can't change your looks and I can't change mine."  
"Isander. You are one of the most beautiful people I know," it was the truth, Laurent didn't even have to sugarcoat his words, because the other Omega was truly a beauty. "Never think you are not. Plus, you are at least ten times nicer than me."  
Isander laughed. "You are nice, you just don't want others to know it."

Laurent sighed. "Because that needs courage and I am a coward. You are so much braver than me. You can hand yourself over to another and you don't think about the hurt that could cause you."  
"I wish I could marry you." Isander turned his head and looked at Laurent with dark, deep eyes. Laurent smiled softly and pushed the water closer. "It would be an honor, Isander…" Before he could finish his sentence, the bartender gasped and hissed: "Alpha walking straight at you."

"Fuck," Isander sounded as if he wanted to sink to the bottom of the ocean.  
"What does he look like?"  
"Older, broad-shouldered, bearded, essentially a DILF." She nodded, happy with her assessment. Laurent groaned. "Fuck."  
"What? Not yours?" She asked Laurent.  
"No, not mine. His." He nodded at Isander, who looked at Laurent with pleading eyes. "What should I do?"  
"Talk to him. He should really decide what he wants from you."  
Isander nodded, slowly. "You are right. I should talk to him." 

Laurent took one of the sandwiches and ate it.  
"Isander, Laurent." Torveld sounded almost apologetic.  
"Torveld." Laurent nodded at him and then stuffed another bite into his mouth to be excused from any more talking. 

Isander on the other hand squared his shoulders and then said: "I know I am not your type. I know I don't look like him." He inclined his head towards Laurent, who groaned, that was not what he meant, when he said that Isander should talk to Torveld, at least it was not the place this conversation should take place.  
"I am much younger than you but that was clear from the beginning. I know you want to fuck Laurent and seriously, who doesn't want to fuck him or be fucked by him? I am serious. Look at him. But the only person Laurent is fucking at the moment is Damianos and have you looked at HIM?! I mean seriously, nobody should be so cruel to want to separate them. Their children will be the most beautiful beings on this planet." 

"So, you really should decide if I am enough for you or not. I won't be him, I won't look like him and I seriously can't take it any longer. Either you want me, or you don't. But I need your answer. Soon." With these words he stood, swayed, kissed Torveld's cheek and went to the elevators. One hand on the shoulder of an assistant, who had realized the Omega was not steady enough on his feet to make it on his own.  
"You should go and look after him, Torveld. I don't want to talk to you." Laurent averted his gaze and stared at the bottles against the wall.  
"You are right. Excuse me." The Alpha hurried after Isander and the bartender whispered: "What does your fiancé look like if he looks even better than that one?" just to continue with: "Oh I see, your fiancé is on his way over here." 

She sounded a bit breathless and Laurent just sighed. He turned around and really, there Damen was, handsome, safe and sure. He scrutinized Laurent's sprawl and his face and came to a stop right before him.  
"Hello sweetheart, how are you?"  
"Perfectly fine and you?" Laurent really tried to sound casual, but Damen knew him better. "I know that you are lying but I'll just pretend to believe you. I feel a bit raw. I didn't expect Lazar to just spill everything like that."

He sat down beside Laurent and supported his head on his hand. The bartender quickly went down to the other side of the bar and the two of them were almost alone, except for the camera team.  
"I think we should go to bed, lover." Laurent leaned closer and nuzzled his nose against Damen's jaw. "I want to scent you."

The Alpha rumbled happily. "Yes, you are right. We are both drunk and tomorrow we need to fly back."  
"Yes. Now take me to bed."  
"Thy wish be my command, your Highness." Damen took his hand and together they made their way to their room.


End file.
